


Nothing Left to Say

by eerian_sadow



Series: Rare Pairing pieces [10]
Category: Transformers (Bay Movies), Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Community: tf_rare_pairing, M/M, Mentions of canon character death, legacy rare pairing fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-09-05
Updated: 2009-09-05
Packaged: 2018-09-18 22:52:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9406514
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eerian_sadow/pseuds/eerian_sadow
Summary: Optimus is gone, and somehow the remaining Autobots have to keep it together. For Ironhide, that might be the hardest part.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was for the "missing scene" exchange. My recipient gave me the following:
> 
> What missing scene do you want to see? After the scene in the new movie where Optimus is dropped to the ground and Ratchet and Ironhide proceed to have a 'discussion', the end it after two lines of dialogue. There had to be more to that.  
> Three things you want in your story: (1) Ironhide really wanting to agree with Ratchet and just leave but can't as he'll feel like he's dishonoring Optimus; (2) Any of the other Autobots there voicing their opinion; (3) Some kind of flashback for Ironhide to one of the times he and Optimus were together  
> Three things you do NOT want in your story: Would prefer none of the humans be involved in this 
> 
> PS: I am not in the all three femmes are Arcee camp, no matter what the canon says. I'm greedy and want more girls all the time.
> 
> Also, thanks to [](http://mmouse15.livejournal.com/profile)[**mmouse15**](http://mmouse15.livejournal.com/) and [](http://okami-myrrhibis.livejournal.com/profile)[**okami_myrrhibis**](http://okami-myrrhibis.livejournal.com/) for the beta work.

He hadn’t expected it to hurt so damned much. But then, he hadn’t expected Optimus to die, either. He just barely managed to break away from the others before he purged his tanks at Ratchet‘s pronouncement of deactivation, unable to bury his emotions and keep a tight hold on them the way he knew a warrior should.

But he hadn’t realized how attached he was--how much he had loved their Prime.

_He had been the one they nominated to go to their Prime when it became apparent that the mech--so very young for his position--was not dealing well with the changes wrought upon their world. He had been the one they sent, because Ratchet and Prowl both thought that a warrior mech might be able to help Optimus understand the war and process the emotions that went along with it better than the other mechs under his command._

_He went, because he was tired of seeing their Prime beat himself emotionally for things that no mech had seen coming and couldn’t change._

_He found their leader in the room they had converted into their war room. It wasn’t large, but it was the only space Prowl and Jazz had been able to covert over in their makeshift base. Optimus was staring blankly at an image--blurred and badly captured--on their small holoprojector. He didn’t take the time to notice what the image contained; it was likely to be irrelevant and simply fodder for the Prime’s continued brooding._

_“Optimus.”_

_At the sound of his name, the other mech’s gaze turned to him and immediately became focused. He approved; Ratchet could say anything he wanted about the Prime’s emotional state, but he_ paid attention _when he needed to and that would save his life. “Ironhide. Is there something you needed?”_

_Optimus was trying to sound strong, but he could hear the weariness and sadness in the other mech’s tone. He cursed Megatron--for the billionth time--for dragging them all into this. “Yeah. For you to get out of this hole. Ratchet and Prowl are both convinced that you’ve sent yourself offline down here.”_

_The Prime made a negative movement of his head. “I cannot. There is still too much that I have to learn if any of us hope to see the end of this war.”_

_He took a moment to look--really look--at the image Optimus was studying. “Like what? That Starscream and Skywarp both know how to take down a heavy artillery unit with a single shot? Or that their third uses sonic weaponry to destabilize a mech’s gyros so they can move in for the kill?”_

_The younger mech looked surprised at his quick assessment of the image._

_“There’s nothing that you’re going to learn from these image files that I can’t teach you faster and more effectively,” he said._

_Optimus reached out and turned off the holoprojector. “Then teach me.”_

_“Not until you’ve come out of this hole, refueled and recharged.”_

_“Very well.” Their Prime stood and followed him out._

His horrible grief turned to rage as Optimus’ body was brought back to base. There had been more than a few passing comments about entombing their Prime at the bottom of the ocean with Jazz or worse, breaking down his shell and using him for parts. He snarled at anyone who made such distasteful suggestions, though he was careful not to lash out at any of his allies. The Humans didn’t understand, and the younger Autobots had been brought up in an era where cannibalizing another mech was not precisely approved of, but wasn’t actively looked down on.

He would save his rage for the Decepticons. He would dump all his anger and hate straight down Megatron’s intakes, even if it got him slagged in the process.

There wasn’t much else left for him, anyway.

_Optimus’ hands were deceptively gentle for their size. And the young Prime, for all that he was confident everywhere else, was unsure of himself during such an intimate moment. But his Prime had come to him for comfort--to have his mind taken off the horrors of the war--and he would never deny him._

_“We shouldn’t do this,” his Prime said, for the third or fourth time since they had started. “It’s completely improper.”_

_“Then why did you come?” He used the younger mech’s hesitation--his uncertainty--as an opening to reverse their positions and give himself a more dominant role. “If it’s so improper, why did you ask?”_

_Optimus writhed as fingers found sensitive wires hidden just beneath armor plating. “I had…a moment of…weakness.”_

_“Then let me give you strength.” He initiated an uplink with his Prime, sending the other mech data containing his pride at being chosen, his pleasure at those unsure touches and the knowledge that he hadn’t said yes just because Optimus was his Prime._

_Optimus shuddered as he processed the data, then relaxed under his hands. “Thank you.”_

He watched his leader fall to the pavement with a heavy, broken spark. His Prime was gone, deactivated in defense of the boy. Lost, when the end of it all had finally seemed in sight.

And the Humans were not making things any better. Their orders, relayed through someone who obviously held them in deepest contempt, had angered Ratchet and the younger mechs. He couldn’t blame them; he was angry, too.

“We should just go,” Ratchet said, glaring at the humans. “We should leave them to their own stupidity.”

Oh how he wanted to. They deserved nothing less. Sam might appreciate the sacrifice Optimus had made for him, and Lennox and Epps would respect it, but the other Humans didn’t deserve their protection. Even as he thought it, though, he knew Optimus would disagree. All life deserved the chance to grow and become more than it was, and every sentient deserved the freedom of choice.

“We can’t.” He said, speaking in their native language for the first time in years because he didn’t want the humans to hear them fighting. “Optimus would want us to stay.”

“Optimus wouldn’t want us to sacrifice himself for a bunch of ungrateful children!” Ratchet fired back. “You of all mechs should know what he would want, Ironhide.”

“He would want us to stay for the greater good,” he replied. “And we would dishonor his deactivation and his memory by doing any less.”

In his peripheral vision, he could see the younger mechs looking to each other for understanding as he and Ratchet spoke. He could even hear the buzz of brief comm chatter on the encrypted frequency that Arcee’s team used.

A moment later, Chromia rolled forward and spoke. “He’s right, Ratchet. Optimus would be furious if we left the Humans to be exterminated while we ran away and grieved.”

Ratchet glared at them both, but didn’t say anything else. Chromia laid a gentle hand on his arm.

“Come on. We’ll help load him into the transport so we can take him back to base.”

He turned away from the medic, his anger overcome by his grief and his gratitude at his old friend’s comforting gesture.

As he and Sideswipe lifted their Prime’s shoulders, he realized that Ratchet was standing with Jolt at Optimus’ feet.

Ratchet hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “I know,” the medic said softly.  



End file.
